The elaborate repoussé decorations on this bowl illustrate various scenes associated with marsh life: herding animals, cutting papyrus, harvesting fruit, catching birds, and paddling skiffs. These illustrations are variations on traditional scenes of birth and renewal that are well known from tomb and temple walls.

Provenance

Discovered at Tell Basta during construction of the railway, 1906. Purchased by the Museum from Maurice Nahman, 1907.